1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article carrier and, more particularly, to a spackle pan holder having a clip or hook for attaching the holder to the belt of a user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When finishing drywall, seams between the individual sheets of drywall are taped and spackled, and the nail heads or drywall screws are spackled to conceal the joints and the nails or screws. During the course of finishing the drywall, a drywall finisher is required to tape both wall and ceiling joints. This requires the finisher to have one hand free to manipulate the tape and the other hand free to control the blade used to apply the spackling compound. A spackling pan holds a desired amount of spackling compound and may be easily carried while spackling nails or screws. When spackling nails or screws, tape is not applied. One hand is free to carry the blade and the other hand is free to carry the pan. However, when taping joints, both hands need to be free to apply both the tape and the compound. A holder which would permit a spackle pan to be attached to the body of a person would free both hands of the finisher to permit the finisher to tape seams or joints with relative ease.
Holders attachable to the body of a user are well known. One such holder is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,109,161, issued Sep. 1, 1914 to Gustaf Chindgren who discloses a paint can holder having a trough shaped receptacle and an inwardly curved shield attached to the trough shaped receptacle. A strap and buckle fasten to the shield to fasten the receptacle around the waist of the user. Another holder or the like is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,704, issued Mar. 16, 1982 to Louis M. Rosen. Rosen discloses a support member having a flat extension support surface and a slotted portion adapted to receive a user's belt. Yet another holder is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,462, issued Jul. 3, 1984 to Umberto C. Taormina, which discloses a tool holder formed of a length of wire material. A tool carrier is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,499, issued Jun. 26, 1990 to James L. Gulley. The tool carrier comprises a frame formed of a closed loop of wire. The frame is adapted to receive a receptacle. The receptacle includes a peripheral groove configured for engagement with the frame. U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,857, issued Aug. 28, 1990 to Michael Carr, discloses a paint brush carrier having a flat member pivotally connected to a pocket clip and a removable paint brush container. A belt mounted can holder is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,302, issued Jan. 5, 1993 to Edwin Smith. The can holder is intended to support a paint can having a wire-like handle. The holder is formed of a single substantially rigid, elongated, continuous wire-like member. Another patent of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,637, issued Jan. 26, 1993 to Joseph Santilli who discloses a combination nail bag and open top container. The container is provided with three peripheral walls and a bottom. The rear of the container is provided with an opening having a neck portion thereabout to which the nail bag is connected.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.